Perhaps you have heard of biofuels, electrical energy produced from organic waste or bioenergy. These concepts may sound novel, but the truth is that it has been known for decades that certain acidic or high-potassium foods can generate energy, and not only that, but they can do so enough to run electrical devices.
In some schools experiments are proposed to students to check how food produces electricity. The most common is the one that makes a lamp light up with a potato, although it does not usually work for more than a few seconds.
However, there are those who are investigating to make this procedure more efficient and claim that a single potato would be enough to keep an LED light on for 40 days.
Haim Rabinowitch, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, has been working for years on the creation of a device for extracting the energy stored in the tubers, and ensures that if the potato is cooked for 8 minutes and cut into pieces, maintaining a light bulb burning with it for 40 days is perfectly possible.
Below you will learn how to do the simple experiment to light a battery or light bulb using one or two potatoes to see for yourself how it works. You can also read how to start a fire with a lemon.
Materials
- 2 potatoes or small potatoes or a large one cut in two.
- 2 copper rods (can be coins)
- 3 copper wires
- 2 zinc rods (can be nails)
- 1 small 1.5v light bulb or a clock that works with a small battery.
1. Wrap a copper wire around each of the copper rods.
2. Bury each of them in a potato.
3. Wrap a zinc rod around the third wire and fit it into one of the potatoes.
4. Take the end of the wire from the copper rod buried in this potato and wrap it around the other zinc rod.
5. Bury this last zinc rod in the other potato.
6. Take the two loose wire ends (be careful not to touch the copper) and make contact with the light bulb.
7. There will be light!
Potato and lemon do not produce electricity per se, but contain ascorbic acid. This component, when joined with a copper electrode and a zinc electrode, causes the electrons to pass from one side to the other using ascorbic acid as a bridge.
This is known as a “redox” reaction, and it is capable of starting and keeping electrical appliances running.
According to Rabinowich, for us to use potatoes for energy production on a massive scale, all that is needed is research and dissemination.
The specialist points out that many people question this and other methods of producing energy from food (such as biodiesel), claiming that with so much hunger in the world, it would not be appropriate to use food for a purpose other than food. His answer is that the production of potatoes to be used for electricity would not necessarily increase the cost of food, and that, on the contrary, it could be useful to bring electricity to areas without access.
“It’s low-voltage power, but it’s enough to build a battery that can charge mobile phones and laptops in places where there’s no power,” explains Rabinowitch.
The cost of this type of energy could be $9 per kilowatt-hour, while that of a 1.5-volt AA alkaline battery can be 50 times higher.
Important: The Bioguide seeks to provide information to people to help them in the search for their personal and autonomous development. The instructions provided require personal responsibility in order to guarantee maximum safety conditions. All procedures must be carried out with the necessary precautions and in the safety of children. The site is not responsible for possible consequences caused by the use of the information offered.